The Wexner Graduate Fellowship Alumni program is at a unique moment in its history as our alumni community now spans two generations of leaders and emerging leaders. The Mentoring program was designed to leverage the deep and diverse talent that has been nurtured by twenty-six years of the Graduate Fellowship Program and to provide a framework for continuing support and guidance of Wexner alumni, bolstered by content-rich, personalized learning.

The vision for a formal Mentoring Program, funded in partnership with the Jim Joseph Foundation, is to provide an opportunity for alumni to build their own capacity to be mentors, as well as engage in strategic growth as professionals in the field as both mentors and mentees.

As we approach the last months of the first cohort, we are pleased to announce that the feedback from the first cohort of the Mentoring Program has surpassed our expectations.

Over the past 8 months 40 alumni have benefited from the orientation and ongoing training they have received to maximize this opportunity for both mentors and mentees. We have learned from the participants that the impact of this first mentoring program has strengthened the individual alumni and the organizations and fields they affect, and has created a sustainable program structure for alumni to give back to the Jewish world with the skill sets and knowledge they have received as Wexner Fellows.  We have already seen that the mentoring program has deepened the skills of these Wexner alumni and strengthened the network of formal and informal support among them.

Consultant and alumna, Rae Ringel, has designed a robust, effective, professional coaching and mentoring programs for us.

 

SCOPE OF THE PROGRAM AND NEXT STEPS – COHORT 2

In addition to an orientation and ongoing contact between mentors and mentees (with each pair designing the mode of interaction that will work best for them), each mentor/mentee pairing will receive coaching/consulting  2-3 times per year with Rae Ringel and Cindy Chazan for further reflection and skill development.  Also, a minimum of 2 conference calls/webinars will be held to invest in the continued learning of the mentors and mentees.

Through participation in this program, mentor volunteers will build coaching and supervisory skills that will help them lead more effectively in their professional and communal lives. 

Originally, mentees were drawn from alumni having graduated from the Fellowship up to seven years ago, and mentors from the group graduating post seven years ago. However, with  Cohort 2, we will consider applications from ALL alumni to be either a mentor or mentee and handle each on a case by case basis in order to arrive at a group of 20 mentees and 20 mentors. Mentors from Cohort 1 may re-apply.

Mentees will grow in three distinct domains: Tactical ("how to" and management skills, e.g. fundraising, board work, etc.); Transitional (moving in and out of professional scenarios and positions); and Transformational (the sense of self that one brings to one’s work, e.g. leadership presence, executive voice, etc.).  Mentors and mentees will create mutually agreed-upon goals and expectations and will hold one another accountable to the highest level of informed, committed participation. Ultimately, the mentees will drive the agenda of the interactions.

We are ready to recruit our second cohort and all who wish to be a mentor or mentee are invited to apply.  The deadline for application is December 23, and decisions will be made by January 3, 2014.   

To apply to be a mentor, click here.

To apply to be a mentee, click here.

 

PROGRAM LAUNCH

Together, Cohort 2 will receive hands-on training in a 24-hour retreat immediately following the 2014 Wexner Graduate Fellowship Alumni Institute.  Scheduled for February 26, 2014, this retreat will launch the program as relationships are formed in person.  

Participation in the Mentoring Retreat on February 26, 2014 is mandatory for both mentors and mentees. [Note: Attending the Alumni Institute, however, is not a requirement to participate in the Mentoring Program.]

The mentors will then connect with their partner mentees once every three weeks through in-person, Skype, or phone meetings for a minimum of twelve sessions /maximum of fifteen sessions per year, and one on-site visit.   

Initial check-in with Rae Ringel and Cindy Chazan will occur to assure solid pairing and make any adjustments necessary in the relationship.

Mentors will also participate in periodic focused, intensive coaching calls.  

Cindy Chazan, is the lead professional on the project.  For further information, please contact Cindy at (212) 355-6115 or at cchazan@wexner.net.